All in the Details: The girls of De Fam redefine the rules of minimalism with Onitsuka Tiger

Echoing the theme of individualism in Onitsuka Tiger’s Spring/Summer 2023 collection, the girls of De Fam — Azira Shafinaz, Cik Manggis and Sophia Liana — open up about their unbreakable bond, finding common ground, and challenging the norm through music.

Clean, pretty, stripped-down: this is the Onitsuka Tiger Spring/Summer 2023 collection in a nutshell. The pieces gracing the Japanese sports fashion brand’s current lineup looks at minimalism as a ‘subtractive’ aesthetic, stripping away what is not necessary. In other words, it’s all in the details. Decorative seams on the hems give a touch of character to a classic Jump Suit while long, fluttering sleeves bear that distinctive shape of a kimono’s fabrics, or Japanese basil leaves. These small details turn even the simplest garments into design objects, celebrating each piece as its own unique piece.

This concept of convergence — of smaller, separate identities coming together as a whole to create something new for the scene — is at the core of girl group De Fam. Keeping the legacy of the 1990s girl groups alive (think the likes of Feminin, Elite and Freshies), De Fam has not only become a modern trendsetter for the music industry, but also shaped a brand-new status quo. Suddenly girl groups are no longer a thing of the past.

“At the time when we started De Fam, nobody in the country really believed in girl groups as something that could be ‘successful’,” Cik Manggis, the ‘big sister’ of the group, shares. “And for us, we weren’t looking to become celebrities or anything like that. All we wanted to do was just share our passions, which was music and dance, and so we pursued this on our own without thinking about labels or official decisions or whatever.”

De Fam first came together in 2015, from a blend of small ‘details’: Sophia Liana’s rap flows, Cik Manggis’ dance moves, and Azira Shafinaz’s powerful vocals. The girls’ friendship goes beyond music, finding its own rhythm along the way. It helps, too, that they’ve been friends for over a decade now. “We started out as dancers together, in a group called Funky Fresh Family — but De Fam was our own special thing,” Azira chimes in. “We came up with the name ‘De Fam’ because it’s French for ‘the family’, and at the same time, FAM represents our initials, Fia (Sophia), Azira and Manggis.”

Finding common ground

Often in girl groups, each member plays a significant ‘role’ or assumes an identity that she goes by and is recognised by the fans. Case in point: the Spice Girls, with ‘Posh Spice’, ‘Baby Spice’, ‘Scary Spice’ and so on, giving us a sliver of their ‘characters’ within the group. De Fam functions in a similar fashion. As Azira puts it, “People look at me as a feminine type of girl. Sophia is the rapper, so they would think she’s boyish. And Manggis is kind of a mix between the two — sometimes she can be boyish, other times feminine. But honestly, it’s our different personalities that make the group.”

These roles are more than just a means to describe who they are — it gives insight to what each of them brings to the table. As the more fluid one of the group, Manggis is adept at figuring out the flow of movements for De Fam’s music videos. Sophia, who is not only the rapper but also the songwriter of the group, is skilled at deciding the exact type of song that would best fit them. And Azira, fashion enthusiast and trained makeup guru, would take on the visual aesthetic side of things.

“I believe that if you understand who you want to be and how you want to inspire others, you should be able to show your individuality,” Sophia offers. “And in De Fam, we don’t clash. We actually have super different personalities, but at the end of the day we have the same interests and the same passion. We understand who’s stronger at each section, and we don’t overshadow each other that way.”

From their early days of “#SUPERGIRLS” to their most recent ballad “Berubah”, De Fam has stayed consistent in terms of their range and style. “What I love about De Fam is that even from the start, we never had a ‘leader’,” Manggis adds. “Everyone is equal; we treat each other equally. We’ve been friends since way before, so we already understand each other deeply. I think when it comes to groups, sometimes you can’t put a bunch of girls together and just expect them to be friends immediately. With us, I think we’re very lucky that we were already good friends before and then we wanted to do this together.”

The importance of standing out

With how versatile the Onitsuka Tiger Spring/Summer 2023 collection is, it’s the perfect channel to draw out the differences between the De Fam girls. Clad in the Onitsuka Tiger Track Top and Track Pants in green, Manggis looks perfectly at home, even striking an action pose while she’s at it. It’s not surprising to see she’s the ‘sporty’ one — her idea of a fun day out is with surfing or skating. Manggis grew up her father’s daughter and it shows: she’s cool, collected and comfortable in her own skin. And on top of possessing a rather ‘tomboyish’ persona on the outside, she also credits her father for teaching her how to toughen herself up from within.

“My father understands the ins and outs of the music scene.” Manggis’ father is Shamsuddin “Sam” Idris, former drummer of the 1960s pop band Zurah II. “In the beginning, he wasn’t very happy to know I wanted to join this industry. He knows how hard it can be, and I think he didn’t want to see me struggle. But after seeing my passion in this field, he is now my number-one supporter. He would always tell me that it’s good to be famous so that people know who you are, and you can help others. But you have to stay humble. You may be good, but you are never greater than anyone else. That’s what I hold on to.”

Contrasting with Manggis’ sporty-cool style is Azira’s flair for the elegant. “Now that I think about it, people probably see me as the ‘feminine’ one because of the way I dress,” she muses with a laugh. “‘Cause I just love fashion. I’m a one-piece, dressy type of girl — or I would try to coordinate my top and bottom, maybe with a skirt.”

Her favourite look from Onitsuka Tiger’s Spring/Summer 2023 collection is, understandably, the WS Top paired with the WS Long Skirt, both in green. Movement being the forefront of the collection, the WS top design reinterprets the kimono — with large arm slits in the sleeves and a flared hem, made of silky georgette that feels good against the skin. It certainly reflects in Azira’s poses for the shoot — draped across the studio floor and just letting the long, fluttering sleeves pool around her, almost theatrical. “My love of acting started when I was in school,” Azira says, of what she calls her ‘true passion’. “My house was basically a set — people used to come over to do shoots, and from there I observed all the actors. And then I would reenact the same scenes on my own, at home.”

Between two extremes sits Sophia — rapper, songwriter and artiste. Sophia is a self-proclaimed introvert, though you wouldn’t think it if you saw her on the stage. “When I’m on stage, it’s like another personality comes out,” she opens up. “In a way, I feel like it feeds my soul and my energy, and it makes me become more confident with myself. Back when we started, female rappers weren’t really a thing yet. What I wanted to do was to show that uniqueness, how girls can also spit bars. And still do it in a ‘feminine’ way. That’s what I want to stand on — what I want to represent in my career.”

Giving balance to her bold side are both Sophia the songwriter and Sophia the muse. This side of her certainly comes out as she dons the loose-fitting Long Dress from the Onitsuka Tiger Spring/Summer 2023 collection — a stark contrast to the monogrammed Printed Track Top and Printed Track Pants, which she can envision herself in when on stage. “The songs that I write about are about motivating myself just as much as it is for my listeners,” Sophia tells me. “It’s kind of like an affirmation for myself as well. So when I really feel it, it becomes my strength. Because what I write resonates with me, too.”

On seeking to change the landscape

As Onitsuka Tiger’s current collection seeks to break conventions and redefine what it means to be ‘minimalist’, De Fam has been doing just that for the music industry. Without any expectations, the girls took to YouTube to showcase their skills and passion — to share with the world what they love doing. Unbeknownst to them, their brand of women empowerment is exactly what the local music scene needed.

“It was really all coincidental,” Cik Manggis recounts. “We went for a karaoke session, and we learned that we could sing, and Sophia could rap. At the time, every singer was making a YouTube cover but we decided to take it up a notch since the three of us came from a dancing background.” Mind you, this was the era where Iggy Azalea’s “Black Widow” topped the charts — which means a singing, rapping and dancing cover was not quite the norm just yet. After their video went viral within the first twenty-four hours, De Fam was quickly sought after by music labels nationwide.

“We were like, ‘Hmm, do we really want to do this?’ It was a huge move forward,” she continues. “We had different goals in the beginning — Azira wanted to pursue acting, Sophia wished to make a name in music. I wanted to work with brands. So we figured, why not do this as a stepping stone? Then once we’ve established ourselves, we can achieve what we want. But the journey has been so amazing, and we’ve been best friends for so long, that we ended up falling in love with De Fam — while still achieving our goals. And that’s why you’d never hear of De Fam ‘splitting up’. Even when we do our own thing, we still make music together. And we will still continue to support each other.”

Find out more about the Onitsuka Tiger Spring/Summer 2023 collection HERE.

editor MARTIN TEO | interview PUTERI YASMIN SURAYA | assisted by MALLIE MARAN & RONN TAN | styling AZZA ARIF | photography ERIC CHOW@BLINK STUDIO | hair ERANTHE LOO | makeup KEVIN LEE | wardrobe ONITSUKA TIGER